Defending champions, Nigeria’s Super Falcons suffered a humiliating 3-2 defeat in the hands of debutants, Malawi in their opening Group C fixture at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco on Tuesday night 

Nigeria, the defending champions and Africa’s most successful women’s football nation, appeared to be heading for a frustrating draw after a goalless first half, before the rampaging Malawian ladies dented the Nigerian girls pursuit for their 11th WAFCON victory

Two Malawian players from the same parents, Tamwa and Tabitha Chawinga were the Super Falcons tormentors as they both scored for the east African country 

Temwa broke the deadlock in the 73rd minute, before her sister Tabitha Chawinga doubled the debutants’ advantage six minutes later.

With time running out, Nigeria were handed a lifeline when captain Rasheedat Ajibade converted a penalty in the 92nd minute to reduce the deficit to 2-1.

The Super Falcons pressed desperately for an equaliser, but Malawi struck again in the fifth minute of added time, with Temwa Chawinga completing her brace to restore the Scorchers’ two-goal cushion.

Nigeria refused to surrender and pulled another goal back through Uchenna Kanu in the ninth minute of stoppage time, but Malawi held on to secure one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history.

Malawi celebrated a historic victory on their WAFCON debut, with the Chawinga sisters playing starring roles in a remarkable performance.

The result leaves Nigeria under immediate pressure in Group C, where they will also face Zambia and Egypt in their remaining fixtures.

For coach Justin Madugu and his players, the task now is to recover quickly and avoid another setback in their pursuit of an unprecedented 11th continental title.

The 2026 WAFCON i will also produce Africa’s representative for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with the four semi-finalists earning automatic qualification for the global tournament.

About 211 member associations will benefit $20 million  each from a new funding package that is been proposed by the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA)

FIFA said the proposed new funding package is part of the world football governing body’s plans to increase investment in global football development.

The proposal, announced by FIFA on Tuesday, includes an optional one-off $20 million funding through the proposed FIFA Fast Forward Programme (FFFP) for special projects, as well as increased regular development allocations under the FIFA Forward programme.

Under the plan, member associations would receive $20 million each for the 2027-2030 cycle, up from the current $8 million allocation.

The funding would rise to $22 million per association for 2031-2034 and $24 million for 2035-2038.

However, the governing body would in return retain sole control of FFE and exclusive authority over football governance, competitions, match calendar, and all regulatory and sporting decisions.

The body will also, under the plan, sell a minority stake in its commercial operations to private investors, a clause widely criticised, particularly by UEFA.

But FIFA said the increased funding would support football infrastructure, coaching, national teams, competitions, grassroots football and women’s football development.

The statement read, “If approved, football development in every corner of the world would benefit immediately from increased funding available to all 211 FIFA Member Associations (MAs): (i) An optional USD 20 million per MA in exceptional and immediate funding for special projects from the new FIFA Fast Forward Programme (FFFP), (ii) USD 20 million per MA in Forward funding for 2027-2030 (currently budgeted USD 8 million), (iii) USD 22 million per MA in Forward funding for 2031-2034, and (iv) USD 24 million per MA in Forward funding for 2035-2038.

“This would be achieved via FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a new FIFA-owned and controlled subsidiary consolidating FIFA’s commercial and event operations; FIFA would retain sole control of FFE and exclusive authority over football governance, competitions, match calendar, and all regulatory and sporting decisions.

“FFE would raise up to USD 4.2 billion later this year to fund FFFP, based on an initial equity valuation of USD 20 billion by carefully selecting long-term investors who will purchase minority, non-controlling interests in FFE.”

The world football governing body said all net benefits generated by FFE would be reinvested into football development worldwide.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the move was aimed at ensuring that the commercial growth of football benefits all member associations.

“Football is the world’s most popular sport and an extraordinary engine of human and social development,” Infantino said.

“Parts of the game have turned that popularity into remarkable commercial value – and we celebrate that success and want it to continue, because it lifts the whole game. Our job is to make sure the rest of football grows with it: FIFA exists to support sustainable, inclusive development in every corner of the world.”

He added that every member association should have the opportunity to access funding and determine its own development path.

“Every FIFA Member Association should have an opportunity to seek a fair share of the available funding to shape its own future, deciding for itself rather than relying on others. This is about the democratisation of football worldwide,” he said.

FIFA said the proposal would only proceed after approval from a majority of its member associations and the FIFA Council, in line with its governance processes.

The organisation said the planned investment could bring its total development funding commitment to more than $10 billion over the next four years, making it the largest such commitment by a sports organisation.

FIFA added that the proposed changes followed the success of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where increased development support helped countries such as Cabo Verde and Curaçao qualify for the tournament for the first time.

The governing body said the FIFA Fast Forward Programme would allow member associations to access additional capital for projects such as stadiums, national training centres and other long-term football infrastructure.

By Chimamanda Ezenwa

British-Nigerian heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua marked a successful return to the ring on Saturday night, defeating Kristian Prenga by second-round knockout at the Jeddah Superdome in Saudi Arabia.

The victory was Joshua’s first competitive outing since surviving a road accident on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in December last year, an incident that claimed the lives of two of his close friends who also served as his trainers.

Despite enduring a difficult start to the contest, the 36-year-old staged an impressive comeback. Prenga sent Joshua to the canvas twice in the opening round, first with a powerful uppercut just 20 seconds into the bout before another knockdown moments later. The former world champion, however, beat the referee’s count on both occasions and remained in the fight.

Joshua completely turned the tide in the second round, taking control with a series of aggressive punches that left Prenga unable to respond. He eventually unleashed a crushing hook that almost knocked the Albanian-born boxer out of the ring, sealing a dramatic knockout victory.

The triumph improved Joshua’s professional record to 30 wins from 34 fights, with 27 of those victories coming by knockout. For Prenga, it was only the second defeat of his 22-fight career.

The win also marked the 10th time Joshua has recorded a second-round knockout during his professional career. The Sagamu-born fighter remains one of boxing’s most accomplished heavyweights, having previously held the unified world heavyweight titles on two occasions.

Joshua’s latest victory is expected to pave the way for a long-awaited showdown with fellow British heavyweight Tyson Fury in the proposed “Battle of Britain,” with the bout anticipated to take place later this year on a date yet to be confirmed.